#088
“Since we’ve decided on everything one by one, shall we take a break?”
Hyun Dowoon said in a gentle voice. I was slightly nodding off due to fatigue, and he seemed to have noticed.
I felt a little embarrassed and nodded while rubbing my cheek.
“Is there a guest room?”
“It’s over there.”
I pointed to the door. Then Shin Haejun pushed my back lightly and said,
“We’ll take care of things here, so go in and sleep first.”
From the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like they would suddenly barge into my room.
I hesitantly got up, wondering if it was really okay to leave the two of them alone. As I moved awkwardly, both Hyun Dowoon and Shin Haejun smiled as if in unison, urging me to go inside.
‘What are they trying to talk about?’
They don’t like each other but have to live together, so they probably need to come to some more agreements… Ah, I don’t know.
I went into the main bedroom alone and sprawled out on the bed. It was late and I was tired, and my heart was pounding at the thought of spending all my savings to buy a house.
‘I never thought I’d be buying my own house here.’
Feeling somewhat warm inside, I pulled the blanket over my head and curled up like a shrimp.
***
The first thing that greeted me when I woke up in the morning was news that Shin Haejun had brought.
There was a good house on the market for an unbelievably low price. To find such information just 8 hours after deciding to look for a house!
It’s probably under Shin Haejun’s influence or a house he owns, but I thought it was okay to accept this level of help, so I didn’t refuse. After all, it would be silly to refuse just this when I had already agreed to accept all the help, and I knew that the two of them were approaching very carefully so as not to hurt my pride.
“Do you like the house?”
After tidying up my simple belongings, we immediately received a call from the real estate agent Shin Haejun knew and came to see the house.
The house was really nice. As soon as we finished a quick tour, Shin Haejun asked with sparkling eyes. Next to him, a middle-aged man, who may or may not be a real estate agent, looked at me nervously. Judging by that attitude, he doesn’t seem to be a real agent…
“Well, it’s spacious and nice. I don’t know how this house came to be on the market for 700 million won, though.”
The house was spacious, and the location was excellent. First of all, it was a great advantage that it was within walking distance of the Awakened Management Center, making it convenient to go to the Medical Center. Considering that houses in this area are extremely expensive due to the presence of Espers stationed at the Awakened Management Center making it the safest place in the entire country, this house looks like it should cost 7 billion won, not 700 million…
As I tilted my head, the real estate agent said with a determined face.
“The price is quite exceptional because it needs to be sold urgently. It would be absurd to miss this opportunity. The owner wants to sell as soon as possible, even today if possible.”
“…Is that so?”
Although I had decided to accept help, seeing Shin Haejun fidgeting as if worried I might not sign the contract, I strongly suspected that Shin Haejun might be the real owner.
I looked at Shin Haejun glumly once, then sighed.
“Is, is there something you don’t like? Should I contact the owner and negotiate to add more options?”
“No, I’m just surprised it’s so cheap.”
I shook my head at the real estate agent’s words.
“It’s vacant, so you can move in right away. We’ll accommodate all your needs.”
Even though anyone could see that I was getting a great deal, the real estate agent treated me as if I were a super VIP.
‘This is crazy.’
I glanced at Shin Haejun. I could see him glaring at the real estate agent. To release the poor agent and make Shin Haejun feel a bit more at ease, I said I would sign the contract.
“It’s really nice. I’ll take it.”
It would be stranger to talk about pride here after accepting all the help. And well, it’s not like I’m not paying anything… Shin Haejun is a chaebol in his own right, so he must be doing this because he can afford to.
When I expressed my intention to sign the contract, I could see both of their faces brighten up.
“Can you take care of the contract processing?”
Shin Haejun instructed the agent authoritatively, then told me that I would just need to stamp the documents that would be delivered and transfer the money, with nothing to worry about.
He said they would even take care of the registration, so I really didn’t need to worry about anything.
“You mean leave everything to you…?”
“This is how VIP service usually works. Don’t worry.”
When I asked doubtfully, Shin Haejun calmly reassured me, thinking I was doubting the service. It was such a typical chaebol attitude that I stopped thinking about it further. A petit bourgeois feeling was trying to surface, but I decided to think positively since things had come to this.
“I’ll buy you a meal.”
After deciding to get help with the rest of the complicated process from the secretary and the agent, I tapped Shin Haejun’s arm and spoke. It seemed like a good idea to at least buy a meal since I had clearly received help.
As we came out to the ground floor parking lot, Hyun Dowoon called.
– I thought you’d be done by now, is that right?
“Your timing is uncanny. We’ve seen it and decided to sign the contract.”
– Good. Can you come to the center now? There’s someone I want to introduce you to.
Since we were talking on speaker phone, I glanced at Shin Haejun. I had decided to buy him a meal, so I was planning to say we’d eat first if Shin Haejun refused.
“Let’s go.”
Surprisingly, Shin Haejun cleanly agreed to stop by the center first. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to already know who we were going to meet.
– It’s really important.
I wonder who it could be…
Feeling curious, I answered that we’d come right away.
When we arrived at the center, Hyun Dowoon’s secretary, whom I had seen a few times before, was waiting for us at the main entrance. I had been to the center director’s office many times, so I wondered why they had the secretary wait, but the secretary headed towards the basement.
‘Where is this?’
It was my first time in the basement. I naturally thought it would be a parking lot, but the 5th basement floor we got off at looked more like a research facility than a parking lot. I was surprised to see people in white gowns coming and going, but Shin Haejun looked unfazed as if he already knew about this.
“What is this place?”
“The Dungeon Research Department. It’s where they research dungeons.”
I nudged Shin Haejun slightly as I asked. He whispered in my ear.
Having heard our conversation, Hyun Dowoon’s secretary added some explanation.
“This is where we research dungeon monsters and anomalies, and also predict when and where dungeons will open. Even when dungeon breaks might occur.”
“It sounds like a really important place?”
“That’s why we put the department on the 5th basement floor, to protect it from external attacks. It can serve as an underground bunker.”
I nodded in understanding at the secretary’s explanation. They said dungeons open on the ground, right? So they must have built this deep underground on purpose.
“The center director is over there.”
The secretary pointed to a place with a sign that read ‘Conference Room 1’. Through the window with blinds, I caught a glimpse of Hyun Dowoon’s bright blonde hair. Two people were sitting face to face across a round table.
We opened the conference room door and entered. Hyun Dowoon, who had been talking about something, stopped speaking, and the person whose back was turned to us turned their head.
“Ah! You must be Guide Lee Jaeha, right?”
“Uh… yes, hello.”
A middle-aged woman wearing glasses with very high prescription lenses greeted me in a cheerful tone. I nodded, feeling a bit flustered. She pointed to an empty seat and told me to sit down.
“Jaeha, this is Research Director Sim Hee-ok, who’s in charge of the Dungeon Research Department.”
“I’ve been waiting to meet you after hearing about Guide Lee Jaeha from the center director. Nice to meet you!”
The smiling research director looked like an ordinary middle-aged woman on the surface, but considering that she managed this entire large research department, I felt like I could see a spark of intelligence in her eyes. A person’s title really does matter.
I shook hands with her and sat down. When Shin Haejun sat next to me, the research director’s eyes shone even brighter.
“It’s been a while, Esper Shin Haejun.”
“Ah, well…”
“Is this the first time we’ve met since your grade assessment?”
Shin Haejun seemed somewhat uncomfortable. I realized that the research director must have been the one who assessed Shin Haejun’s grade. Certainly, thinking about that time would remind him of his brother, so I understood why he was stiff.
“Um, excuse me. My throat isn’t feeling well today, so I need to speak quietly. I’ll move closer if that’s okay.”
I made up an excuse and moved closer to the research director, changing seats with Shin Haejun. Although it probably wouldn’t make much difference since I’m shorter than Shin Haejun, I wanted to shield him a little.
“Is your throat hurting?”
It was just an excuse, but Hyun Dowoon asked me with a worried face. I reflexively glanced at the research director. I thought we shouldn’t let her know that Hyun Dowoon liked me.
However, the research director’s face remained calm. Then she started talking to me rapidly.
“I heard you’ve been experiencing a lot of dungeon anomalies? Your grade suddenly went up too. It seems like a really special case, so I’ve been really looking forward to this. I’m counting on you today.”
It was an abrupt statement. If the topic of my throat had come up, she should have said something about that, but the research director didn’t seem interested in that at all.
I realized that she had no intention of listening to anything outside her own interests. I was a bit surprised and glanced at Hyun Dowoon, who winked at me. As if to say this was normal for her.
In a way, she seemed to lack consideration, but I actually felt more comfortable with this atmosphere. She wouldn’t say anything bad in our first meeting, so it was easier to read the situation when all her words were straightforward.
“But why am I here today?”
What is she going to ask me to do? It seems like this is the person Hyun Dowoon said I absolutely had to meet.
When I asked, the research director’s face changed to look sinister. Just like… a mad scientist from a movie.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
